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The St. Louis construction firm S.M. Wilson & Co. has bought Indianapolis-based Rollins Construction Co. Inc. for an undisclosed price to gain a foothold in the local market.

Rollins has completed renovations at Community Health Network hospitals, as well as Major Hospital in Shelbyville and Hancock Surgery Center in Greenfield, among other health care centers. Under Wilson, the renamed Rollins Construction Co. LLC will compete for larger hospital projects, Wilson said yesterday.

"We were looking for a partner to help expand our reach in the Indianapolis market, and the acquisition of Rollins is a perfect opportunity for both companies," Wilson President Scott Wilson said in a statement.

Garry Rollins, who was president of Rollins Construction, is project executive under Wilson and will share executive duties with Kort Cole, who was transferred to Indianapolis from Wilson's St. Louis office.

Few changes are expected under Wilson, Rollins said. Rollins has 55 employees and generates $12 million to $16 million a year in revenue.

Rollins said he and Wilson officials were introduced by a mutual friend because Rollins was looking for a way to transition the business to new ownership.

Rollins, 54, said neither of his two children were interested in taking over the business and that he wanted to start the transition early in order to help it go smoothly. He said he has no plans to retire, but instead intends to stay with the company under the new ownership.

"Wilson shares the same values and qualities for the treatment of their customer and their employees that we have shown over the last 30 years," Rollins said. "It's just an opportunity for us to continue to grow."

Rollins Construction was started by Garry Rollins and his father, H.E. "Whitey" Rollins, in 1977. The company was launched by buying the local operation of Atlanta-based builder McDonough Construction that Whitey Rollins had managed for more than a decade.

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On Tuesday, April 24 IBJ & Indiana University will host Education-to-Employment (E2E) Convergence, a panel discussion focused on how Indiana can build a talent strategy around a more highly educated workforce. E2E will identify examples of successful partnerships to better integrate college graduates into our workforce from around the state. Register today.